MOOR VS. MOOR: Is the AHS Tardy Policy Beneficial in Eliminating Tardies on Campus?

BARRY CHEUNG
Staff Writer

Starting from the beginning of the second semester, AHS has enforced a new tardy policy in an effort to reduce the number of tardies on campus. The policy is beneficial because it forces students to take the initiative of coming to school by implementing consequences

If a student is tardy, they are now required to head to the Attendance Office, check in and finally head back to class. Most students would not go through such an exhaustive process for any period, deterring students from being tardy in the future.

The policy also enforces punishments, such as detention, Saturday school and calling the student’s home at six in the morning if the student is continuously tardy. Students will likely learn to stop being tardy and find ways of getting to school earlier or head to class before the bell rings.

Ultimately, it is great that AHS has stressed the need of eliminating the amount of tardies on campus with this new policy. As students, school should be the utmost priority and this plan will improve our learning experience by prompting students to attend the full session.

JOSEPH NEY-JUN
Staff Writer

With AHS’ new tardy policy came a number of consequences for consecutive tardies to encourage late students to become punctual ones. However these consequences do nothing to encourage students who do not want to come to school and only places more potential strain on those students who do. The policy is not beneficial because it merely threatens students with punishment rather than provide a positive incentive to be on time.

The majority of the student body are still minors and are not always in control of when they get to school. The consequences for being tardy are not enacted until the third offense; however, the threat places unnecessary stress. The policy gives kids reason to get to school on time but not the right reason, it only gives them another thing to worry about and disrupts learning further.

If schools are to encourage education they should not make it feel like a chore. The policy hurts students who want to come to school. After all, they still arrive to receive the tardy but are treated like truants despite their efforts. The consequences of being tardy only create animosity and distaste for school.